We review the data and report key insights at our yearly Summer Summit. These insights shape how we lead, how we hire, and how we continue to cultivate our culture as a team.

This year, we focused on our response to key threats, analysis of Health and I+A scores, and top themes from our 2026 Culture Survey.

Read on for what the team shared.

Culture as a Living Organism

 
Culture is a living organism, made up of cells. Each cell plays a role.

As you review this report, consider this: what kind of cell do you aspire to be? A cancer cell, a dead cell, or a white blood cell? And what kind of organism, do we aspire to be?

Anyone who’s been to one of our parties, workshops, or events will tell you the same — we have a culture worth cherishing. We have something special at PD, and we must protect it.

This brings us to our first topic: What are a few top threats we need to protect ourselves from?

Responding to Threats

 
Threat
Losing our culture of accountability.
 
Response
We are committed to accountability.
 
The truth is, we don’t hold each other accountable 100% of the time, anyways. This is a human challenge. It’s not unique to us, or to this business — every team, everywhere, has this challenge to some degree.

Our response to the threat of losing accountability is that we are committed to holding each other accountable.

We have systems to support a culture of accountability:

• Onboarding books like 5 Dysfunctions, Ideal Team Player, Extreme Ownership
• Advisors and coaches, sharing external perspectives
• Journey Docs, to track key conversations and learnings

Why invest this much effort, this much time and money? Because we believe in debating toward the truth, and holding each other accountable to success and growth. Our culture of accountability is, and will stay, alive and well.

Threat
Hiring the wrong people.

Response
We are vigilant of our culture.

First, let’s clarify. “Wrong” hires are those not aligned with our culture, our core values, and purpose.

Another truth is that we will hire the wrong people. It’s impossible to have a 100% hit rate.

Everyone says they want a culture of accountability, excellence, and teamwork. We see this in the interview process. People join us because they see PD’s culture, and they want to be part of it.

Hiring the wrong people isn’t the threat. The threat is hiring the wrong people, and keeping them.

Our response is that we are vigilant of our culture. We all have a responsibility to protect our team. That’s what our systems protect — from our screening process, to the Candidate Questionnaire, Journey Docs, to our culture of open communication.

We all have a responsibility to be vigilant and to cultivate the culture we signed up for.

To be like white blood cells when — not if — we mishire.

Threat
Growing too fast.

Response
We will grow fast.

Growing fast is not a threat. The real threat is if we lose our soul in the process. Growing fast is what we want. It cannot be a threat as well. Let’s dive into why we want to grow, and grow greatly.

Everyone has goals and dreams, and to achieve them, it takes growing resources.

To get there, we need to grow. For 10x growth, fast isn’t optional, it’s a requirement.

The threat is growing slow, or, growing fast and losing our soul. Why? Ambitious dreamers will leave a slow-growing company for more growth opportunities elsewhere. We have a duty to grow, and grow greatly, to take care of the team, the ambitious, and the next generation.

We don’t intend to grow slow. And in the process, we will safeguard what matters most.

Two things that matter at PD are our core values and our purpose.

Supporting Health and I+A

Assessing Realities

Below are the averages of how the team scores PD’s support.

However, an average doesn’t capture the full picture. Let’s take a closer look at how the data is dispersed.

When responding to, “How much has PD supported you?” on a scale of 1-10,

For Health: 68.1% score PD as 8-10 level of support, and 14.9% score PD as 6 or lower.

For I+A: 89.4% score PD as 8-10, and 4.3% score PD as 6 or lower.

We must ask the important questions:

Same company, same stated values, yet very different lived experiences. We want PD’s support for both to reach everyone on our team. A 100% team average is our goal, not 80%. Since reviewing the survey responses, XT has reached out to better understand our teammates’ realities.

Taking Ownership

Regarding PD’s support for our team’s Health and I+A, there are a handful of questions we can ask.

Whether you’re in a leadership position, you’re a teammate, you’re a PD veteran, or newer to the team, what are you doing to cultivate the culture you signed up for? Each of us has a responsibility to raise our hand and continue to strengthen our culture.

In the Team’s Words

Highlighting top themes, in the team’s words.

 
Camaraderie

10× Teamwork, Fun
8× Supportive
6× Love, Collaborative
5× Family, Caring
3× Together, Thoughtful, Inviting
2× Wholesome, Warm, People, Optimistic, Engaging, Energizing
1× Trust, Supportive, Rich, Respectful, Relaxed, LOLz, Kind, Insular, Human-Centered, Hugs, Hospitality, Friendly, Expressive, Empathy, Culture, Family

 
Camaraderie is our #1 theme. Team members describe care, support, and community, whether it’s our hugs, our accountability groups, or rallying toward milestones together. We have the opposite of Sunday Scaries. Team members look forward to returning to the office after the weekend.
 

 
Grit

9× Gritty
3× Discipline
2× Spicy, Fearless, Bold
1× Rigid, Passionate, Overwhelming, Nonstop, Nimble, Intense, High-Paced, Heat, Hardworking, Grounded, Fierce, Dedication, Competitive, Brazen, Boundary-Pushing

 
“Gritty” was our second most frequent word. We speak of feedback and challenges constructively. Phrases like “Anything is possible” “We will make it work” and “Embracing the discomfort of growth” reflect our attitude of rolling up our sleeves to get it done.

 
Growth

5× Growth
4× Health, Ambitious
3× Evolving
2× Innovative, Growth, Curious, Adaptable
1× Wisdom, Sustainable, Striving, Keen, Inventive, Intelligent, Inspiring, Incubating, Improving, Frantic, Flexible, Enriching, Edifying, Cautious, Aspirational, Adventurous

 
Team members report how much support they feel as they learn and grow, both at the individual and team levels. This is backed by our culture of support and leadership throughout a team member’s PD journey.
 

 
Authenticity

8× Creative
5× Quirky, Honest
4× Wacky, Unconventional, Authentic
3× Diverse
2× Vibrant, Unique, Intentional, Humble, Fresh
1× Unexpected, Genuine, Dreamy, Cool, Contradictory, Badass, Atypical, Aspirational, Ambiguous

 
Our team evolves and invests in the long game, while keeping what makes PD uniquely PD. Camaraderie, grit, low-ego, and extreme ownership all cultivate a culture of authenticity.
 

 
Excellence

2× Systematic, Professional, Extraordinary, Excellence
1× Winning, Vigilant, Talented, Studious, Standards, Responsible, Greatness, Fail, Details, Craftsmanship, Clear, Better

 
We choose to show up as professionals, hold each other accountable, and strive for excellence, day in and day out.
 

 
All Together

10× Teamwork, Fun
9× Gritty
8× Supportive, Creative
6× Love, Collaborative
5× Quirky, Honest, Growth

 
Combined, our top 5 words are teamwork, fun, gritty, supportive, and creative.

Conclusion

We have something special here. We know it from our clients, our partners, our guests, and our advisors. We know and experience it for ourselves.

Every single person is part of the team because they chose to be. It’s our duty to remember what we signed up for, protect it, and cultivate it.

Thank you, PD Team.

The post Culture Review 2026 appeared first on Pixel Dreams.

Each year in June, we ask PDTers about our culture: what’s working, what needs evolving, and what lights PDTers up.

This report aims to:

• Shine a light on the traits that make PD unmistakably PD.
• Explore how we can protect and evolve what’s working, so our culture stays healthy as we scale.

Process

Questions

 
Below are the questions we asked PDTers this year.

Analysis

Questions
We gather the answers and analyze them in detail. Our reporting team looks for patterns, themes, and anomalies, taking into account the respondents’ tenure, role, and even personality insights. For example, what is the experience of new PDTers, and how do PMs see our work compared to our Designers?

Word Clouds
We take all submitted words, clean duplicates, group by theme, and programmatically create word clouds, with word sizes determined based on the number of times referenced. In addition to themed word clouds, we also create one large word cloud, as our year’s all-encompassing word cloud.

2025 Report

While our team’s description of PD Culture is remarkably consistent year over year, the scale of the conversation has expanded: we’re discussing systems, rituals, scalability, and sustainability.

Our Culture

Sentiment

How do we describe PD culture?

In this year’s culture pulse, we found five emerging themes.

 
 
01. Growth

It’s a place where truth is spoken, beauty is built, and growth is sacred.

Vivid

Being growth-minded is a permission-to-play at PD. Teammates describe PD as an environment that pushes learning and reflection. Our culture encourages and gives time for practice, while holding teammates accountable to their goals. Stretch assignments, feedback loops, and space to try–fail–improve are common threads.

This year, our responses point to a subtle evolution from “learning for learning’s sake” to learning that shows up in the work: more ownership, more shipping, more visible progress.

 
 
02. Grit

We are unlike anywhere else.
We are ambitious and audacious.
We are in it, to win it.

Ideas

Rolling up our sleeves and getting the work done is a normal attitude at Pixel Dreams. PDTers emphasize a constructive sense of urgency, a willingness to wear multiple hats, and a “high-performing team” mindset where everyone does what it takes, sometimes literally, from polishing decks to cleaning toilets. This no-ego and gritty approach encourages us to do the right things, and doing things right, enabling clients and teammates to trust and count on PDTers when it matters.

 
 
03. Excellence

High standards, zero ego, and a whole lot of heart.

Heart

At PD, excellence means high standards without ego. Themes like “accountable” (the most-cited descriptor), “professional,” and “creative” show up again and again. Teammates point to shared standards (e.g., Heartbeat rhythms, professional workflow) and a culture that welcomes constructive feedback and acts on suggestions. The result is a having a master craftman mindset: details matter, outcomes matter, and we keep raising the bar, together.

 
 
04. Authenticity

… PD is intentionally unconventional, which makes us different from conventional organizations.

Star

PDTers experience PD culture as real and candid. Radical transparency, characterized by a no-nonsense approach, goes hand in hand with a genuine openness to diverse personalities and working styles. Words like “fun”, “authentic”, “unique”, and “creative” reoccur, describing an environment where teammates can show up as their full selves, in service of the work and each other.

 
 
05. Warmth

It feels like working with super ambitious friends who are growing with you and cheering you on, always!

Evolve

PDTers highlight trust, camaraderie, and support, from everyday collaboration to structures that make healthy habits easier. Pixel Dreamers share that our culture is a team-first environment that balances professionalism with humanity, making it easier to do our best work and enjoy the people we do it with.

Potential Threats

How might we protect—and keep evolving—PD culture?

We’re choosing to grow, and the messy middle of scaling carries a real risk of cultural dilution. Below are the early warning signs PDTers flagged as potential threats to our culture. Along with these signals, we’ll look at the team’s ideas to keep PD Culture strong as we scale.

 
 
01. Culture Dilution

As we grow, there is a risk that our culture may become diluted. Cohesion could slip if we unintentionally hire cultural misfits. And if we fail to reinforce our values day-to-day, we could lose the strengths that make PD culture unique and healthy.

To safeguard against the risk of cultural dilution, our team is calling for an ongoing collective effort to elevate our standards of behaviour beyond individual efforts. How do we foster clarity, consistency, accountability, and courage among our team to uphold those standards? These are important questions to ask and answer as we aspire to elevate as a united front.

 
 
02. Slippery Slope of “It’s Fine”

What we tolerate sets the tone, for better or worse. If we fail to embody our values, including failing to hold each other accountable when we miss the mark, teammates may assume mediocrity and lack of accountability are acceptable at PD.

In the short run, things may look fine on the surface, but without holding each other accountable to higher standards, standards will inevitably drop, robbing each other of our opportunities to level up, grow into our better selves, and do our best work.

Our operating system (OS), Heartbeat meetings, frameworks, learning modules, and more, help us uphold our shared standards at scale. In practice, accountability is built in: expectations are clear, signals of how we’re doing are visible, and misses surface early so we can address them. As we grow, we’ll keep tuning these rhythms, not to add bureaucracy, but to enable us to do things right consistently.

 
 
03. Overstretching

Stretching is crucial for growth, but overstretching can cause injuries. When a team member feels overextended, the things that tend to slip are often the rituals and practices that strengthen and celebrate the individual and the team. Our team called for protecting the time and space essential for our cultural practice so that our culture has room to grow.

Creativity is an essential ingredient of our work. To be our best selves and do our best work, our creative engines benefit from time and space to recharge. We’ll carve out a dedicated space for deep thinking and exploration—time to stretch and grow our capabilities without tipping into burnout.

You + PD

Health + Wellness

Health & Wellness: how are we doing?

Having reviewed the collective perspective, we turn to personal growth: how teammates assess their progress and how PD is supporting them.

The overall sentiment from our team is positive. We’ve seen a meaningful lift in our team’s personal commitment to health, and PD’s support scores even higher. Many appreciate the support systems and structures at PD designed to improve our team’s health and wellness, such as accountability groups.
 

Personal + Professional Development

How are we growing on a personal level?

Our teammates rated their individual commitment to personal and professional development at an impressive average of 8.23/10, reflecting our collective commitment to improving ourselves day by day.

PD’s support lands in the 8–10 range for most PDTers, with many giving PD a full mark. The sentiment is clear: support is strong and appreciated.

What fuels that growth? Many PDTers named ‘opportunities’, ‘trust’, and ‘freedom’ — room to learn, stretch, fail, and win fantastically. Beyond the “learning” dojo, our team expressed a much higher level of stepping up in the “doing” arena this year.
 

Conclusion

Culture is not static — it’s a living, evolving force shaped by every teammate’s values, actions, and aspirations. This year’s findings reinforce our core identity: a high-performing, heart-forward team committed to growth, excellence, and authenticity. Even as we scale, our pulse remains strong, driven by shared rituals, honest reflection, and the courage to hold ourselves to a higher standard. As we continue to scale our company, we aim to uphold a culture where great people do their best work, together.

As we look ahead, the challenge is clear: protect what makes us unmistakably PD while boldly adapting to what the future demands. This means hiring intentionally, scaling systems without diluting soul, and making space for recovery, creativity, and deep work. It’s a collective responsibility, but also a shared privilege. With clarity of purpose backed by shared values, we can grow not just bigger, but better, raising intelligence and awareness in ourselves and in the world we aim to move.

BONUS: Word Clouds!

Our report would not be complete without showcasing our inspiring word clouds, programmatically created based on the words PDTers chose to describe our culture. To get the words, we asked a simple and straightforward question: What are 5 words that describe PD culture?

This year’s themes are Growth, Grit, Excellence, Authenticity, and Warmth.

 
Growth

7 x Growth
3 x Curious
3 x Health
3 x Inspiring
3 x Learning
3 x Wisdom
2 x Empowering

 
Grit

8 x Gritty
5 x Intense
2 x Ambitious
2 x Hustle
2 x Passionate
2 x Striving

 
Excellence

5 x Accountable
4 x Professional
3 x Creative
2 x Committed
2 x Disciplined
2 x Excellence
2 x Great

 
Authenticity

5 x Fun
5 x Authentic
4 x Unique
2 x Quirky

 
Warmth

13 x Teamwork
6 x Supportive
4 x Caring
4 x Collaborative
3 x Family
3 x Loving
3 x Warm
3 x Welcoming
2 x People

 
All Together Now!

The post Culture Review 2025 appeared first on Pixel Dreams.

The Genesis of Sonnet

Definity Financial (formerly known as Economical Insurance), a 150-year-old titan in the industry, was ready to set the stage for a revolution in the insurance sector with their first foray into the direct-to-consumer market. Michael Shostak, the company’s new Chief Marketing Officer, was on the team charged with the monumental task of creating a fully automated personal insurance platform. Guided by principles of clarity, boldness, and transparency, Michael and his team lived by the mantra “build the plane while flying it” as they stepped up to the challenge of introducing this revolutionary product to the market in just 18 months.

Building the Brand

Michael and the team’s approach to brand building was holistic and visionary. Inspired by the best across industries, they aimed to emulate the customer experience of giants like Apple. Every detail mattered, and they would hire the very best at every step to achieve this vision. From the user interface to the customer service ethos, they maintained a passion for excellence and a deep respect for the customer experience. This approach was revolutionary in an industry often criticized for its opacity and complexity.

Key Strategies and Initiatives

You’ve got to know what you’re going to measure before you start building.

Michael Shostak, former CMO of Sonnet Insurance

The strategic approach was multifaceted, targeting visibility and engagement through high-profile sponsorships with the Toronto Blue Jays, the World Cup of Hockey, Toronto FC and the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival, among others. A particularly bold move was the decision to avoid the word ‘insurance’ in early brand marketing materials, giving the brand an accessible and friendly voice. Each brand touchpoint emphasized customer delight over cost-saving, such as highly customized Instagrammable packaging for policy statements (despite the higher than normal cost). Michael emphasized the importance of establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) early on, developing a marketing analytics dashboard before creating the product, and enabling a culture of relentless measurement and optimization.

The Results (Year 1)

The results of these strategies in the first year were remarkable:

• Sonnet achieved significantly higher than average ad awareness.
• Aided brand awareness stood at 90%, a testament to the effectiveness of their advertising spend.
• The brand was recognized as #1 in uniqueness within the industry.
• Conversion rates from website visits to sales were nearly double industry norms.
• Customer satisfaction scores were in the 70s, well above an average in the 50s and significantly higher than the 20s typical for banks and financial institutions.
• Social monitoring revealed high levels of social media mentions.
• National news coverage of the brand’s launch further amplified its reach and impact.
• Remarkably, Sonnet became the fastest growing insurance brand in Canada in its first year, a testament to the success of its strategic initiatives.

Lessons Learned

The journey of Sonnet’s brand development and market entry offers invaluable lessons:

• Have a clear vision
• Keep culture in check
• Surround yourself with greatness. Hire the best.
• Be data obsessed
• Take the long view
• Sweat all the details
• Be nimble on your feet
• Test, measure, rinse, repeat

Sonnet’s first year is a case study in how clarity of purpose, strategic innovation, and a data-driven approach can disrupt traditional markets and set new standards for customer engagement and satisfaction. We at Pixel Dreams thank Michael for taking us step by step through such an inspirational journey. We look forward to implementing our learnings from this event in helping our clients reach their marketing goals.

The post Birth of a Brand: The Story of Sonnet appeared first on Pixel Dreams.

In 2023-Q3, we took a massive step forward in our commitment to teamwork by launching Pixel Dreams Talent Management (PDTM). This was a fundamental shift in our approach to team development. We believe teamwork and culture are our greatest strengths, and PDTM is a cornerstone in nurturing these aspects. PDTM is our commitment to nurturing and expanding our team’s capabilities with the goal of serving our clients and community to the best of our abilities.

PDTM is a shift from a conventional HR philosophy to a talent management focus. We continue to invest heavily in R&D and revamping our HR processes from acquisition strategies to offboarding. Two key initiatives launched include implementing a Learning Management System (LMS) and introducing our PD Buddy program.

Investing in an LMS

Investing in a Learning Management System (LMS) was pivotal in our quest for holistic talent development. This system consolidates our educational materials and offers a dynamic and scalable environment for ongoing learning and growth.

Incorporating an LMS into our talent management approach is designed to equip our team with essential resources for their personal and professional advancement.

Here’s how it aligns with our key objectives.

Reducing time to learn.
The LMS provides structured and accessible learning modules, enabling new hires to rapidly assimilate PD’s unique systems and philosophies while getting onboarded faster. This streamlined learning process reduces the time required to become proficient in our operational methods, ultimately delivering value to our clients faster.

Making training predictable.
With the LMS, we aim to establish a consistent and predictable training framework for all team members. We will continue to systematize the onboarding process and ensure continuous professional development, making it easier to track progress and identify areas for improvement.

Increasing value to our clients.
We aim to deliver more value to our clients – consistently and faster. We expect that our teams can achieve this by accelerating and enhancing the quality of training. Essentially, our LMS will help quickly upskill our team, ensuring they are always at the cutting edge of industry practices, with the goal of increasing the value we offer to our clients.

Introducing PD Buddies

The first 90 days are pivotal for new hires. One way we aim to make the experience welcoming and productive is through our PD Buddy program. This buddy program pairs new team members with experienced and high-performing PD members, providing a personalized guide to navigate the subtleties and complexities of the PD universe.

The PD Buddies program aims to create a welcoming atmosphere, expedite learning, and establish strong, collaborative relationships from the outset. Learning new and intricate processes can be challenging. PD Buddies offer support and reinforce lessons to ensure a smooth transition. Recognizing that our clients’ products and services are often complex, PD Buddies play a crucial role in bridging knowledge gaps for newcomers.

Talent Management & Beyond

 
We are committed to ongoing investment in both our team and the systems and processes that support teamwork. Continual improvement and evolution in talent management is the cornerstone of our strategy. It’s a strategy designed to enhance the capabilities and cohesion of our team, ensuring we deliver the best possible results for our clients.

We look forward to providing you more updates in the future!

The post Launch of PDTM appeared first on Pixel Dreams.